Meet our New Team Members

Carl Hooker

Carl comes to EdTechTeacher as a part-time instructor and presenter while he continues his work as the Director for Instructional Technology in the Eanes Independent School District in Austin, TX. His unique blend of educational background, technical expertise, and humor make him a successful driving force for this change. As Director, he has helped spearhead the launch the LEAP program (Learning & Engaging through Access and Personalization) which put 1:1 iPads in the hands of all K-12 students at Eanes. He is also the founder of iPadpalooza – a learning festival showcasing the use of iPads in education. Carl is a member of the Apple Distinguished Educator class of 2013. He will be co-instructing our NEW July 8-10 iPad Classroom workshopwith Sam Morra.

Don Orth

Don Orth, Director of Technology at Hillbrook School in Los Gatos, California, joins EdTechTeacher as another part-time instructor and presenter to work primarily, but not exclusively, with our West Coast schools. He has been working in public and private schools, both in the US and Europe, for over a decade as a teacher and administrator. In the last few years, Don has focused on bringing meaningful innovation into education, not simply in the form of technology, but by way of better understanding student needs, learning styles, and the shifting landscape of our world. Hillbrook School was one of the first schools to initiate a 1:1 iPad program, which has become one of the platforms they use to help transform teaching and learning. Don is also coordinating the Hillbrook iLab project to study how agile learning environments affect engagement, confidence, and performance of students. Don discussed his innovations with iPads and learning environments at both the Boston and Atlanta iPad Summits and co-authored an article on digital citizenship published in Independent School Magazine, summer 2013. Hillbrook School was recently selected as an Apple Distinguished School for the 2012-2013 school year, and Don was named an Apple Distinguished Educator in 2013.